Cotter-pin machine.



R. H. SMITH.

COTTER PIN MACHINE;

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18, 1913.

Patented June 27, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I fives e wi z 'rms cuLulpaiA PLAN- oalillvn co R. H. SMITH.

COTTER PIN MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. I8" I913.

PatentedJu'ne 27, 191.6.

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'rHB COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPA'A cm, WASHINGTON, D. F.

R. H. SMITH. coma PIN MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18, l9|31 Patented J 11110 27, 1916.

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COTTER PIN MACHINE APPLICATION man Aum. 1913. 1 ,1 88,689. Patenmd June 27, 1916.

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UNITE STATES PATENT orrIoE.

iROY :H. SMITH, OF LCLEMELAND, 'IOH'I0.

COTTER-PIN MACHINE.

' Specification ofLetters'Patent. P3,t 311t 1,June2!7 1916 Application filedfAugust 1%,;1913. ..Seria1 No.';7B5;-198.

T 0 cll-wkomit may concern: Be it .known :that 1, Roy SMITH, a citi- .zen 10f ithe'United States, residing at CleveflHIlCl,1iI1 the county of .Cuyahoga and State of zOhio, have invented .a certain new and useful Improvement imCotter YPin'Machines, of which ;the following is a. full, .clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to metal working machines, and especially to cotter-pin 51nachines, and to a method of forming .cotter pins.

The main object of the invention is to provide a cotter pin machine which turns out or manufactures automatically cotterpins more rapidly and at 'a less cost than is :possible with @the ,most improved ina- .chines in use at the present time.

The above object "is attained by several radically new features of construction and operation, chief of which is an arrange ment by which 11 am enabled to do away avith :the necessity of utilizing previously .drawn special half round wire stock, and '-W l1lCl'1 receives ordinary round stock, and

at *the same time that it feeds the stock to the cutter and cotter forming dies, rolls or draws the same into half round :SllOCk, the feeding and drawing action being carried on at just the proper :rate to permit the cuttingoff tools to supply to the cutter forming dies lengths or sections of stock to form cotters of predetermined lengths which "can be varied as desired. This is an extremely important feature .or improvement, for :the reason that heretofore :stock supplied or fed to .a :cotter pin :machine'had to be previously rolled 0r drawn to the half round shape, and the elimination of the necessity for the previously formed spef cial stock, or of the extra rolling operatails =of1construotion ma combinations .and arrangements of parts which will :be .de-

scribed in the specification and ;set forth an the appended claims.

'In the accompanying sheets .ofrdrawings,

wherein :I have shown the preferred con- :structmn of {the main parts "in :the' rim- -portant particulars of the :same, Figure '1 1s a .s1de mew of the machine; Fig. '2 ds a side view glooking :toward {the right v:of Eig.

1, parts being in :section; Fig. 3 is :an ;en- .larged view, partly in section, and :partly in side elevation z-show-ing the dies and :the mechanism ifOI' bending :the stock sections downwardly between @the same; Fig. 4 is ;an enlarged sectional @view with pants ;in elevation showing "the cut-off mechanism; Fig. 5 is :a slightly enlarged View partly in section, showing principally the icut-ofl' mechanism, and the icotter :finishing mechefl-lll-SIH, including the dies and die acanriers;

Fig. :6 is -a detail side *view looking toward (the left of Fig. '1, showing :principally the operatlng means for the stock bending -mechanismg; Fig. 7 isa detailsectiona-lwiew showing .the lock1ng :means for .two --..of the :speed :changin slnftable gears.

The machine includes :a Pframe 310, in {the lower ,portion of avhich zis journaled a main drive shaft 11 which is provided at one .end with a driving pulley lie. 'Splined ato this shaft is a ;gear .12, which .-meshes with a gear 13 supported by a frame .14 which with the gear 12 is adjustable lengthwise of .the shaft 311. illhe gear .is adapted i130 engage and \(Zl'I'lWB any .one of :a series of gears 15 of graduated slzes, all finedyto a shaft 16 supported by the frame above the shaft 11 and parallel thereto. The series of graduated .gears .15 enable the rate of :feed of th,e?StvOO.k to be varied to adapt the machine for various lengthsofwcotters. The 7 frame let acanriesQa spring pressed locking pin in which cooperates with :a segment 14: haanng openings in which the pro may be inserted, and .which are properly -.po--

sitioned to .hold the frame and :gears anany adjusted position.

'Theggear-s above described and =others to :be referred to iane utilized in driving two cooperating stock feeding .and -.da'awin-g TIGllS 17 and 18, which feed the stock to the cutter and dies, and in .the preferred construction are utilized to change .or draw out .ordinary 1.1.

round stock or wire to the half round shape which is required in the manufacture -cf cotter pins. It will be observed that the lower roll is provided with a half round peripheral groove 17" while the upper roll is plain or cylindrical. These two rolls are secured respectively to the ends of two roll shafts 19 and 20, the former of which is journaled in the upper part of the frame and has fixed to it a large gear 21 which meshes with and is driven by the smallest of the series of gears 15. Power is transmitted from the shaft 19 to the shaft 20 through the medium of two gears of equal size 22 and 23, secured respectively to the two shafts.

It will be observed that the upper shaft is journaled in a hollow body 24: which at its end remote from the rolls is pivoted to the part of the main frame which incloses and supports the lower roll shaft 19, and which at its forward end adjacent the roll 18 is formed to fit closely between the parallel walls of a yoke 25 at the top of which is an adjustable screw 26 which bears on the top of the shaft carrying member 2d to hold the two rolls firmly together, or to permit the clearance between the same to be varied to suit requirements. It will be observed that these parts just described are heavily designed with large bearings, etc., in order that they may stand the great stresses and transmit heavy power required in drawing the stock to the half round shape-" In line with the rolls 17 and 18 is a cutter which cuts the stock into sections of the desired length. This cutter consists in this case of two cooperating rolls 28 and 29 carried by a block 30 secured in a slideway 31 of the frame by bolts 32 in such a manner that the block and cutter rolls may be adjusted toward or away from the feed and drawing rolls 17 and 18. The stock is fed through peripheral grooves 28 and 29 in the cutter rolls, the groove 29 in the upper roll being shallow and having a flat base, while the groove 28 of the lower roll is substantially half round and is provided at one point with a cutting tooth or projection 28 which cuts the stock into the required lengths, one section being thus cut off at each revolution of the two rolls.

The cutter roll 28 drives the roll 29 through two meshing gears 33 and 34, with which the rolls are respectively provided, and the lower'roll is driven from a shaft 35 which is journaled in the frame near the bottom thereof and is driven from the main shaft 11 through bevel gearing 36. The driving means between the lower shaft 35 and the cutter roll 28 consists of three shaft sections 37 connected by universal joints, a set of bevel gears 38 between the upper shaft section and the shaft on which the roll 28 is mounted, and another set of bevel gears 39 between the lower shaft section 'moied back and forth by a and the driving shaft 35. It is important that the peripheral speed of the cutter rolls be not less than the linear speed of the stock after it passes through the feed and drawing rolls.

As the stock passes through the cutter rolls, it passes through a half round groove in the upper ends of a pair of finishing or forming dies 40 and 4-1, and when the stock is severed by the cutter, the dies should be midway between the ends of the cutoff section, or the ends of the latter should extend equally on opposite sides of the dies. The location of the cutters will be such as to ac- COH'lPllSll this result.

The two dies are removably held by pivoted holding or locking members 42, in the upper ends of a pair of rock arms l3 and t4- journaled in a bearing block 45. These rock arms are swung back and forth to close and open the dies by a plunger all), the upper end of which is connected by toggle arms 47, to the lower ends of the rock arms. This plunger is lowered by gravity, or by other suitable means, if desired, to open the dies, and is positively elevated to close the dies by a cam d8, on shaft 35, (see Fig. 2-), which cam engages a roller on the lower end of the plunger.

As before stated, an important part of my invention resides in the mechanism for bending the wire stock or stock sections downwardly between the dies, and this part will now be described. Ins il of utilizing a. single bending device an one which is reciprocating motion, I employ a plurality of rotating bending devices which are successively brought into action and are so arranged and actuated that while one is leaving the dies, and carrying with it a finished cotter, an other is brought to position to bend the next wire section down into the dies, with the result that the cotters can be formed at a iuch more rapid rate than heretofore.

By referring to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that there is provided adjacent the dies, a rotating bending wheel 50 supported on a shaft 51, journaled in a bearing carried by abraclret 52 secured to the frame. The axis of this shaft is parallel to the direction or line feed but is displaced laterally therefrom a, little more than the radius of the wheel. This wheel carries a. plurality of,in this case fourinwardl )ro'ectinQ' short shafts 53, which are revolved by the wheel and are adapted to rotate slightly about their own axes. These shafts project inwardly slightly beyond the vertical central plane of the dies. shafts and projecting at right angles thereto are pins or fingers 54E which are located in the central vertical plane of the dies, and are adapted to bend the stock sections clownwardly into the dies, as the wheel is rotated. i

Secured to the inner ends of these the cotter is completed.

In Fig. 3, one of the pins 541 is carrying a finished cotter from between the dies, .and another, or the one next to it, is about to bend the stock section which forms the next cotter downwardly. It will be observed that .the pin last referred to is horizontal and it =will beapparent that it should remain horizontal vor move in a path of parallelism with respeotto the position referred to, until In consequence, I provide a construction such that the angular position of the pin does not change from the time that the pin engages the stock section until the cotter is completed. This is accomplished by means of a fixed cam which is sccuredito the bearing for shaft 51 adjacent the bending wheel 50, and by providing on the outer ends of the shafts 53, cam ilike heels or shoulders 56, which engage the face of the cam 55, so that the latter may control the positions or paths of the bending pins 5% as the bending shafts are rotated about the axis of the cam. It is necessary to control the position of each bending pin only while it is moving through a portion of its cycle of movement. The substantially upright face oredge portion of the cam facing the die, as shown in Fig. 3, is the part which maintains the pin horizontal for the period above stated.

The pin engages and bends the stock downwardly until the stock reaches the base of the finishing or shaping grooves of the dies, and thence the pin is held stationary while the dies are closed, so that the eye of the cotter pin may be formed on the bend- ;ing pin, and. thence the movement of the 'bendin g pin is continued to carry the cotter from the dies. To accomplish this, the bending wheel 50 is actuated intermittently by mechanism which includes a cam 58 having on its face an internal cam groove which is properly shaped to produce the desired results. This cam groove is engaged by a roller on the arm 59 (see Figs. 2 and 6), whose ,lower end straddles the shaft 35, and whose upper end is pivotally connected to a link 60 loosely swung from the outer end portion .ofthe shaft 51 upon which the bend ing wheel 50 is mounted.

T he pin -61 which connects the arm 59 to the :link 60 carries a spring-pressed pawl 62, which cooperates with a ratchet wheel 63 fixed to the shaft 51 to turn the latter step :by step. The cam 58 is so shaped that during one complete revolutionof the cam, the

arm 59 is moved upwardly an extent to cause the pawl to move the ratchet wheel, shaft 51, and bending wheel 50 a suflicient amount -to cause one of the bending pins 54 to bend the stock section the full distance into the dies, and thence the pin 5 remains stationary while the dies are being closed .onto the pin and stock section to form the .cotter and $11611 the arm 59 is again given another thrust upwardxto move the pin and with it .the finishedcotter from the dies, and to bring the next :01 following ,bending ,pin into a :position to bend the next {stock ;section .into the .dies.

A .brief statement of the operation imay .now -be .given. The round wire .stock is fed from a suitable roll for reel .into gthe :feed and drawing dies 17 and 18, where it is drawn into the half round .shape and thence is fed by these same rolls {through aniopening in the bracket 30 andthroughthenutter rolls which .cut .the stock into sections .of the desired length. If it is .desired to vary the length of the cotter, the-gears '12 and 13 are shifted so ;that the latter will engage .either a smaller .or larger gear .depending upon whether .it is yClGSllBCl :to increase or decrease the length .of the .cotter. Of course, the stock feeds out of the feeding and drawing ,rolls at a faster rate than it feeds into .the same, inasmuch as a unit section voef the .round stock has its length .considerably increased (the action of the rolls. In consequence, to determine the :rate .at which the rolls 1.7 and 18 must be re volved to feed the half round :stock at the proper rate ,to produce cotters .of the desired length, account must be taken of the .amount that .a .unit section of the round stock is increased in length ,by the rolling or drawing action, -.or the difference between .;the vrate .of feedof the half round .stock over that of the round stock. When the rate of feed is changed to vary .the length of :cotter, the position ;of the cutter trolls.

must .be changed {not because the position of the cutter aolls ,aflects at all the length .of the cut-01f :sections, .but in order that the .cutoff sections will .be properly positioned with respect to the dies and the ,bending pins. Just as the .section iscut off .and lies over the .upper :ends of .the dies, .one :of the bending pins engages the 'cut off section midway between the dies and :bends the same downwardly .into .the latter in the manner shown in Fig. .5. Thence the dies are closed onto the-stock .section and ,bending ;pin, and thecotter iscoinpleted. While the dies-are closing, the bending mechanism is temporarily stationary .as before stated, and thence as the dies are again opened, the finished cotter pin is removed from the dies and the next succeeding or following bending pin is brought to bending position with reference to the .dies. Meanwhile, the stock is being fed (continuously througlh the rolls, and when .the .die is opened to ,permit the egress .of the finished cotter, the stock is again fed :oier the same, the section is severed by the cutter rolls .and the .operation just described is repeated. Thisoperation is carried {on very rapidly and in fact much more rapidly than is possible with other types of machines which uti ize illtQL &,

plete cycle of movement of each bending pin. This increased speed of operation re duces the cost of the finished product, but

the feature of employing combined feed and drawing rolls, WhlCll allow a machlne to use the round stock which is far less expensive than the special rolled half round stock, is perhaps the greatest factor in the reduction of the cost of the product of my improved machine.

Vv hile I have shown in the drawing, only the preferred construction, I do not desire to be confined to the exact details shown, for it is obvious that many of the parts may be varied considerably without affecting the results, and I therefore aim in my claims to cover all modifications which do not involve a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a cotter pin machine, in combina tion, means for drawing round stock into half round stock, mechanism for cutting the half round stock into sections, means for bending the cut-oil sections into cotter pins, and means for operating said parts in predetermined relationships to form cotters of predetermined length.

2. In a cotter pin machine, in combination, a pair of cooperating drawing rolls for drawing round wire stock into half round stock, mechanism for cutting the stock into sections, mechanism for bending the sections into cotter pins, and means for operating said Darts and mechanisms in predetermined relationships to form cotter pins of a given length. 7

3. In a cotter pin machine, in combination, means for drawing round wire stock in half round stock and for feeding the half round stock at a given rate, cutting mechanism for cutting the half round stock into sections 01" a predetermined length, and bending mechanism for bending the cut-0H sections into cotter pins, and means for operating said parts.

at. In a cotter pin machine, in combination, combined feed and drawing rolls for drawing round wire stock into half round stock and for feeding the same through the machine at a predetermined rate, a cutter for cutting the half round stock into sections of predetermined length, dies for forming the cotter pins, means for bending the stock into the dies, and means for continuously driving the feed and drawing rolls.

5. In a cotterpin machine dies for forming cotter pins from stock sections, a rotating device for bending stock sections into or between the dies, and means for closing the dies when the said device and the bent section of the stock is between the dies.

(3. In a cotter pin machine, a pair of forming dies, an intermittently rotating device for moving and bending stock sections into or between the dies, and means for closing the dies on to said device and the bent stock section.

T. In a cotter pin machine, forming dies, a rotary member having a plurality of devices for moving and bending stock sections into the dies, and means for closing the dies when each of said devices and the bent stock section is between the dies.

8. in a cotter win machine a pair of forming dies, means for opening and closing the dies, and means for engaging sections of stock so as to bend the same into the dies, comprising a rotary member having a plurality of projecting pins, which successively bend stock s ctions into the dies when the latter are open.

9. In a cotter pin machine, a pair of dies, and mechanism for moving and bending stock sections into the dies comprising a rotating member having a plurality oi stock moving and bending devices, each adapted to engage a stock section and to more and bend the same into the dies, and means for holding each of said devices against angular movement, while it is moving a stock section into the dies.

10. in a cotter pin machine, dies for forming cotter pins from stock sections and adapted to be opened and closed laterally, means for moving the stoclr'sections downwardly into the dies and for bending the sections comprising a rotary member having a plurality oil bending ')ins, and means for actuating said member to cause the pins to successively move stock sections into the dies.

11. In a cotter pin machine, dies for forming cotter pins from stock sections, means for moving the stock sections downwardly into the dies, and for bending the stock comprising a rotary member having a plurality of bending pins, means for actuating said member to cause the pins to successively move stock sections into the dies, and means for holding each of said bending pins in substantially horizontal position as it moves a stock section into the dies.

12. In a cotter pin machine, dies for i'ornr cotter pins from stock sections, means for moving the stock sections downwardly into the dies, and for bending the sections, comprising a rotary member having a plu rality of bending pins, and means for actuating said member, to cause the pins to successively move stock sections into the dies, means for holding each of said bending pins in substantially horizontal position as it moves a stock section into thedies, and means for intermittently actuating said rota-ry member.

13. The method of forming cotter pins from round wire stock which consists in drawing the stock into half round. stock and for feeding the same at a predetermined rate, cutting half round stock into sections and thence forming the sections into cotter P 14. The method of forming cotter pins from round wire stock which consists in drawing the round stock into half round stock and simultaneously feeding the half round stock at a predetermined rate, cutting the half round stock into sections at a predetermined rate with reference to the rate of feed, and thence bending the sections into cotter pin form.

15. The method of forming cotter pins from round wire stock which consists in drawing round stock into half round stock and continuously feeding the same at a predetermined rate, cutting the half round stock into sections of predetermined lengths and forming the cut-off section into cotter pin shape at a predetermined distance from the point at which the stock is cut into sections. I

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

v ROY H. SMITH.

Witnesses:

A. F. KWIs, L. I. PORTER.

Copies of thin patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0. 

